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Essay Subject: (Saul Padover). Critical review of biography of 3rd U.S. President.... More...

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Paper Abstract: (Saul Padover). Critical review of biography of 3rd U.S. President. Paper Introduction: Jefferson by Saul K. Padover is a biography of the third president of the United States that takes Thomas Jefferson from his youth through his later years in the early 19th century. Padover is a scholar of America in the 17th and 18th century and, as an authority on the U.S. political system during that period, he is a perfect choice as the biographer. Padover is Dean of the School of Politics of the New School for Social Research, and he is widely recognized as a top expert on American political thought in general and Thomas Jefferson in specific. He has written a number of books on his current subject, including the well-received Thomas Jefferson on Democracy (published in 1939). The purpose of this book is to give a political and social overview of Thomas Jefferson's life and career. It was written Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. Theillustrations are adequate: there might have been more of them,concentrating on Jefferson's political associates (Hamilton, Burr, et al.). Padover begins withJefferson's birth on April 13, 1743 on his father's plantation, Shadwell,in Goochland (now in Albermarle) county on the western edge of settlementin Virginia. Padover has accomplished what he set out to do, which was to presentJefferson as a person that readers could relate to as a politician,husband, father, as well as a man of higher learning. He haswritten a number of books on his current subject, including the well-received Thomas Jefferson on Democracy (published in 1939). Jefferson was of course the author of the Declaration ofIndependence, and because he had set this document in motion, he waited outthe Revolutionary War to see if the colonies would win. While Jefferson was serving as vice President from 1797 to 18 1, hedrafted the Kentucky Resolutions. In terms of his generalintelligibility, Padover is very readable. The purpose of this book is to give a political and social overviewof Thomas Jefferson's life and career. Author Padover has great empathy for Jefferson, and this admirationshows through on every page. One comes away from this biography wonderingwhere leaders of Jefferson's caliber are in today's political arena. If they had lost,Jefferson would have been hanged for treason against the King of England. He became famous for the republicansimplicity that he established there. The scope of the book is all-inclusive. He was elected President following along deadlock with Aaron Burr in the House of Representatives. The bibliography is excellent, allowing for follow-up on several ofthe texts to do more reading on, for example, the Louisiana Purchase. During his second administration, Jefferson tried to enforce suchmeasures as the Embargo Act of 18 7, even though this brought a great dealof opposition. The title might havebeen a little more exciting, such as "Jefferson: The Compassionate FoundingFather." Padover does well by his chapter headings, as they divideJefferson's life into "Vice President" and "President," etc. To explore this book is to experience the growthof America from a group of colonies to the United States and then on to theexpanding nation that developed through the Louisiana Purchase and theLewis and Clark Expedition. and so theyprovide easy access. Ifnothing else, Americans can take solace that this country was founded by,among others, Thomas Jefferson. But not for long" (28). The author is relatively objective. Padover is Dean of the School of Politics of the New School forSocial Research, and he is widely recognized as a top expert on Americanpolitical thought in general and Thomas Jefferson in specific. Once he retired from public life, Jefferson moved back tohis beloved Monticello. Thishappened mainly because Alexander Hamilton considered Burr the moredangerous man and he gave his support to Jefferson. His friend James Madison evoked these words when Jefferson died onthe Fourth of July in 1826. With the Virginia legislature from 1776 to 1779, Jefferson formed thegroundwork for abolition of entail and primogeniture, for the establishmentof religious freedom, and for the public school system. In terms of external criticism, the book seems to be very valid. Padover is a biography of the third president ofthe United States that takes Thomas Jefferson from his youth through hislater years in the early 19th century. New York: Harcourt, Brace, 1942.----------------------- 6 The narrative continues on to show Jefferson graduating from Williamand Mary College, then entering politics in Virginians House of Burgessesin 1769. In his later years Jefferson wrote about his view of the future, whenhe saw that the people would be enlightened by free education. Jefferson was the first president to be inaugurated in Washington, acity that he had helped to plan. Padover's accuracy with the facts that he presents seems quite good.As has been mentioned, he doesn't deal with some of the more controversialaspects of Jefferson's life, but he may not have had access to thesematerials back in the 194 s. He did a commendable job ofexplaining Jefferson's election, with the Congressional dynamic betweenHamilton and Burr. The style is conversational and the book offers insights intoJefferson's psychology as well as historical data. Jefferson. Jefferson married Martha Skeltonon New Year's Day, 1772. political systemduring that period, he is a perfect choice as the biographer. "Jefferson's election was a great victory for the democratic forces,but it was black Tuesday to the thousands of Federalists who believed thatthe Republican leader was an atheistic anarchist and who feared that hisAdministration would be that of a bloodyhanded revolutionist" (285). This, however, is hard tosee as a direct bias, as many of those who helped form the country in 1776clearly had a great deal of character. It was at this time that he founded the Universityof Virginia and continued his activities as a scientist, architect, andphilosopher-statesman. It was written for both the studentof American history and the casual reader interested in the genesis of theUnited States government, seen through the eyes of one of its foundingfathers. This book is worth reading because it frames Thomas Jefferson withinthe context of his times. Jefferson by Saul K. Padover is a scholar of America inthe 17th and 18th century and, as an authority on the U.S. Under aforward-thinking democratic-republican institution, the people could governthemselves better than under any other system. During his first administration heachieved the Louisiana Purchase and oversaw the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Works CitedPadover, Saul K. He served as the minister to France from 1785 to 1789. The value of this book is that it shows that Jefferson was not asaint, yet he was one of the most intelligent presidents that the countryhas ever had. Padover has given the book great value because he has framedJefferson among his peers. If Padover has a bias, it is that the earlier leaders of the U.S.showed more moral character than those today. At this timethere was growing opposition to Alexander Hamilton and his policies, andJefferson associated himself with a group called the Republicans, who wereactually forerunners to the present Democratic Party. Inreferring to several other accounts of Jefferson's life, it appears thatPadover got all of the main facts correct. The author has madea contribution to the field of American history, and this book still ispart of the Jefferson canon of biographies nearly 5 years after itspublication. Biographies of Jefferson sincethis 1942 edition have concentrated more on the darker side of Jefferson'slife, such as the affair he had with his slave, but Padover keeps primarilyto the main facts of the third president's life. Consequently, the book truly comes to life, andthe reader is able to learn about Jefferson as well as his contemporariesJames Madison, John Marshall, and John Adams. "He lives and will live in the memory andgratitude of the wise & good, as a luminary of Science, as a votary ofliberty, as a model of patriotism, and as a benefactor of human kind"(422). "He was getting on in the twenties and still a bachelor, dallyingwith the belles. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.